Explanation
by ElliotOliviaBensler
Summary: Elliot comes back after 7 years. What will happen?
1. chapter 1

Elliot Stabler was standing outside of the SVU squad room, the place he spent 13 years of his life at. He was anxious to see everybody but, he hasn't been back here since he shot and killed Jenna so, he was also very nervous. He had left SVU nearly 7 years ago but, he had wanted to see her again. After all this time the attraction to her still hadn't faded away, he hoped that would be the same for her too.

He had divorced Kathy one year after leaving because it simply wasn't working anymore. They had left on good terms and were still friends and talked occasionally. His kids were doing good, Maureen moved to Colorado with her husband, John and her kids, Ellie and Ben, Kathleen was married to Adam and were expecting their first child in February, Elizabeth has been dating Levi for 2 years, and Richard had been seeing his girlfriend Valerie for 3 years. Little Eli still lived with Kathy and came to Elliot's place in Manhattan every other weekend. All was well except for his need for her. That was the reason he came back. Her.

He pushed open the doors and the memories came flooding back to him. He saw their desk and thought of all of the long nights they had spent together. He saw the coffee station and thought of all of the horrible coffee Munch used to make. It was like his second home most nights. He had missed this all too much. Elliot loved her, yes, but he was off limits to her because of his marriage. That wasn't holding him back this time.

Elliot immediately saw a familiar face, Fin, sitting next to a blond haired woman at two desk across the room.

"Elliot freaking Stabler!" Fin exclaimed loudly as soon as he saw him. Elliot started moving towards his desk.

"Fin! How has it been?" Elliot asked as soon as he reached Fin's desk.

"Better since you left," Fin joked.

"I see you're still your old self," Elliot joked back.

"Why are you back?" Fin asked bluntly.

"Hey Fin, did we get our rapist to crack?" A familiar voice asked from across the room. Elliot immediately turned around because he knew who it was. It was her.

Olivia Benson had gotten herself out of the door fairly late this morning due to her son, Noah, having a meltdown over one of his favorite toys missing. It had taken her nearly 15 minutes to find the toy, it was stuffed in between the couch cushions.

That little dinosaur had cost her to be 20 minutes late for work.

As soon as Olivia got into the squad room she felt different. Her skin started to get a tingly feeling and she shrugged it off thinking it was nothing.

She was halfway across the squad room by the time she called out to Fin, "Hey Fin, did we get our rapist to crack?"

Then he turned and she knew why she felt different and why her skin was so tingly. It was because he was here. She hadn't seen him in 7 years and it nearly broke her when he left. Now he was back to wreak havoc on their lives by coming back and ripping open old wounds.

"Elliot?" Her voice almost cracked but, she wasn't going to cry and look vulnerable in front of her squad. She stopped then, right in front of her office, and felt like the wind had just been knocked out of her.

Carisi came back into the squad room just then from the interrogation room, "Rollins you try and have go at him, I can't break him," Carisi said to the blond.

"Um sure I'll go at him," the blond replied and got up to go to interrogation room 1.

"Hey Lou, I couldn't get him so I sent Rollins in to go crack him, are you all right you look a little pale?" Carisi asked.

"No, yeah I'm fine," she replied quickly.

So Olivia had been ranked up to Lieutenant? That's good it fits her he thought.

"Olivia." He stated answering her question that it was indeed him. After all this time he's back.

"Elliot what are you doing here?" She asked while walking to Fin's desk.

"He came in the squad room 5 minutes before you did, he never said why he was back," Fin said answering her question.

"Elliot can you please come into my office?" Olivia asked looking at Elliot with her eyes looking like glass because if the tears.

"Sure Liv," Elliot says following her to her office.

When they first walked in to her office she turned around and looked Elliot. He was her partner and best friend for 13 years of her life and he just left her. It was like he didn't care.

"Why didn't you tell me when you left?" Her voice cracked on the last word and she told herself not to cry in front of him. He didn't deserve that.

"I needed to get out of here and Kathy said I should just cut ties with everybody from the job," he tried to explained to her.

"So you just listen to everything she says? What about all those times she said to come home? Or all those times she said to spend time with her or, to talk to her? You didn't listen to her then why now? I understand everybody else but why me? Why did you have to leave me behind? We were best friends and you were my partner for 13 years Elliot, I thought you could talk to me about anything, what about that?" Olivia questioned raising her voice.

"Who's Elliot?" Asked Sonny Carisi.

"You know Benson's partner that we told you about? She was with him for 13 years then, he retired and didn't tell anybody about it, not even Benson. We haven't seen him in 7 years, he just came in today," Fin informed Carisi.

"Oh that's Stabler? I've heard of him and the rumors around the department. A lot of people said they had a relationship is that true?" Carisi questioned.

"None of them were true but, they were too close and, Olivia would never do that to Kathy, Elliot's wife." Fin answered

"I wonder why he came back after all that time," Carisi thought out loud.

"I was thinking the same thing," Fin agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry I don't write long chapters, I'm not that much of a writer but, I promise to update this story as quick as I can.**

"Finally got our rapist to crack and got a confession," Rollins stated as she walked into the room.

"How'd you do it?" Carisi asked.

"A little sweet talk," she replied raising her eyebrow at him, "Works for most boys,"

"Do you guys hear that?" Carisi looked at both Fin and Amanda. They all look towards the Benson's office and see her talking with her hands and anger written all over face.

"You left me that was your choice!" Fin and everybody heard Olivia yell.

Fin got up and rushed over to the lieutenants office. He opened the door and Olivia turned around one tear escaped her eyes, she quickly wiped it away. Fin looked at Elliot now and saw sadness on his face and in his eyes.

"What Fin?" Olivia asked

"Liv, we can all here you out here and also we got our rapist to crack," Fin said

"Sorry. Did we get a confession?"

"Yeah, Rollins had a go at him."

"Good, when you leave can you shut the door?"

"Yeah, just remember these walls aren't sound proof." Fin said and then left and went back to his desk.

"Olivia, I couldn't call you. I was scared to talk to you," Elliot said.

"Why? Why is that?" Olivia asked angry.

"You were the job. I couldn't take the job anymore. The cases, all the rapist and victims, it never stops. You were going to remind me of the job and I couldn't take it anymore, and if you weren't going to be the job then what would you be? Kathy already had suspicions so, I didn't want to give her more by still talking to you." Elliot said apologetically

"So you made a choice, you could either leave with out the job or leave still having a piece of it. So, you made a choice. You left me that was your choice!" Olivia yelled the last part. Fin rushed in the room and she cursed in her head for letting a tear slip from her eyes. She wiped it away hoping Fin didn't notice.

After Fin left she turned around to face Elliot. She saw sadness in his eyes and she knew he was sorry. He didn't even have to say it, they still could understand what the other was saying with out even saying a word. When she saw him again she couldn't think but, now she could and it all came rushing back to her. The hugs, there were two of them but she had loved every second of both of them. The first one was when she had saved Kathy and Eli, he had hugged her out of appreciation for her actions to save his wife and kid. The second one was when Sonya died, their old ADA, he had hugged her because he wasn't there and he should have been. All the glances and the undercover operations there had been, she misses it. Then, there were the rumors, God the rumors, how much she wished they were true but, she would never do that to Kathy. She refused to be the "other woman" and, she enjoyed him being her partner. He had anticipated all of her moves with out her saying a word. That's what made them a good team. Team. She had to remind herself that that's all they were.

"Olivia are you all right?" Elliot asked forcing her to come back to reality.

"Yes, I'm fine," Olivia answered.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back sooner Liv you have got to believe that," Elliot apologized

"It's been seven years Elliot since you were here, did you think about what you were doing at all? You never told me you were leaving and there I was thinking we were closer than that. Let me Change that, I know that we were closer than that." Olivia said raising her voice once again.

"You still don't realize it do you?" Elliot looked right in her eyes and it took her breathe away.

"Realize what?" She said in barely a whisper.

"Why I came back," Elliot answered.

"Why did you come back?" Olivia stared at him.

 **A/N: I guess that's the age old question isn't it?**


End file.
